Dramatic Irony
by Ruin Takada
Summary: Things are getting bad for Newt: his love life is taking a bad turn, his mum comes back, and Lauren is more than nosy! Meanwhile, a class production of mod. Romeo and Juliet is revealing many secrets best left hidden! Pairings are: Newt/Lauren & Newt/Kris
1. Act 1, Scene 1

* * *

Chapter I

**Hi, KuraiSeken here. I'm so happy now, because this is my FIRST EVER Hollyoaks fan fiction. So, to mark the occasion, I have decided to do it all about my favourite character: Newt! **

**Now, you usually see me over on the Anime/Manga section, where I make my mark in DN Angel. I have done one for Full metal Alchemist, but that said, it IS crossover with DN Angel. So, because of my experience of writing stories mainly about Satoshi Hiwatari from DN Angel (who, incidentally, also has a Voice or Other-half like Newt's) I'll find it quite easy to write about the conversations between Newt and Eli. So, thanks for reading and please enjoy!**

**P.S. In this, whenever Newt and Eli are together, it is written as though Eli can be seen by Newt but not by others, which is why everything Eli does or says is described in much the same way as any other characters. Much like what happens in the TV show. Just so you know, Eli's speech is typed in **_**this font, **_**and Newt's thoughts are in **_this font. _

**Enjoy, and please R & R**!

* * *

**Act 1**

**Scene 1**

It was a very cold and stormy Winter's night that night in Hollyoaks, the rain falling hard on the roof of the houses, and the thunder roaring above the noise of the late night traffic driving past the village. At 11 o'clock at night, there was no one outside to appreciate the thunder's light show. No one, except for the few party animals that were wont to walk home from the SU bar every night – no matter the weather.

Newt couldn't sleep that night. The wind was blowing too hard through his open window, tearing at the posters on the wall. The red voodoo doll had already fallen on the floor, and the wind was already proceeding to taking out all the loose thumbtacks from the wall, making the posters crumple in the wind. Had Newt had the motivation to get out of the warm bed to close the window, he might've been able to save Gerard and his friends the indignity of being blown to the floor in the middle of their little Black Parade.

_**What's wrong, Newtos?**_Newt took his eyes away from the MyChem poster and stared at the shadowy figure sitting on the end of his bed. Eli. Newt just glared at him and turned over. He was in no mood to talk to Eli tonight, and in no mood to listen to what he had to say.

_**What does that look for? All I've done is asked you what's wrong and already you're giving me evils.**_Newt pressed his hands over his ears. He hated it when Eli pretended to be his friend, for he knew that – deep inside his Voice's thoughts – Newt was worth nothing to him.

_**Is it because of the other day? Are you worried about what happened in the Convenience Store? Does SHE **_**know**_** what you're worried about? That you don't like her that way anymore?**_Newt suddenly remembered what happened that day in the store. That terrible thing that happened when he went to pick up the latest issue of "Dark Princess". Eli was right about Newt's worrying, but he wasn't going to admit that – not to Eli at any rate.

Eli's expression turned serious. _**Listen to me. I don't care about how you see other people, or what you think about them, but there are people who do, who would kill you just for thinking that way. No everyone's as understanding as me**__._ Dread started to grip at Newt, keeping him wide awake. If this secret of his got out, would others really KILL him for it? That McQueen boy John-Paul managed to get by OK, and he was open about his ways and means. Would that change for Newt, just because he was an Emo?

_**Remember, Newtos: what would Frankie say? Do you really think she would let someone of THAT sort live under her roof**__? _

No. Frankie wouldn't, would she? After all, Craig had always been welcome in her home…but then again, Craig was her son. Newt wasn't even related by marriage. As far as he was concerned, he was just extra baggage. _But I'm not even sure I am yet. _Newt thought to himself. _Maybe that issue of Dark Princess wasn't as exciting as the last one._

_**Are you kidding? That issue was the best one yet! **_Eli moved closer to Newt, until their noses were barely touching. _**You find out tomorrow Newtos. Do an experiment. The sooner you know for yourself, the sooner you can pack.**_

_But, _thought Newt, _how will I know for myself? What do I do to find out?_ Eli just sighed at this, and moved his face away. He smiled wickedly, stood up, and winked at Newt, as if to say: _**You're clever. Work it out for yourself.**_

Suddenly, heavy footsteps could be heard from downstairs, along with childish shouts of "Bowie Bowie Bowie!!"

_**Well woof woof to you too.**_ Eli knew that no one would see him, or here him say the words, but did so anyway for his own (and possibly Newt's) amusement.

The upstairs landing light was switched on, allowing yellow light to flood into Newt's bedroom through the gaps on either side of the closed door. Newt quickly lay flat on his bed and pulled the covers over his head, feigning sleep. Two sets of footsteps entered the room, one light but loud, and the other heavier, but calm. Frankie's voice from downstairs tried to call them away from the bedroom, but they wouldn't listen.

The shouts of "Bowie" continued, this time clear, as though Newt was right next to the child that made them. A woman's gentle, motherly voice softly shushed the child quiet, and the child's light footstep walked out of the bedroom again.

The woman's footsteps walked towards the bed, and placed a warm, soft hand on Newt's right cheek.

"I'm so sorry." Whispered the woman as she stroked his cheek, "But I'm going to make it up to you." Bending down, she gently placed a kiss on Newt's forehead and stroked his hair. Standing back up again, she closed the window, and then left the room. She closed the door, plunging the room once more into darkness. There was a still calm in the air now, and the FO boys were no longer at risk of sharing the same fate as Gerard and his buddies.

_**This is a turn up for the books. **_Whispered Eli as he walked out of the shadows where he'd concealed himself. _**Are you still going to carry on with the experiment tomorrow?**_

Sitting up slightly, Newt let the covers fall off him and gave Eli a steely glare. "Yes," Whispered Newt, "Tomorrow we will." The whistling of the wind ceased, allowing the posters to settle and leaving a still calm in the air. Settling back into the deep covers, Newt smiled, closed his eyes, and fell to sleep.

* * *

**Hey! So what did you think? I know it's a little short, and not a lot is clear, but all will be revealed. One thing I will clear up now is the thing about "Dark Princess". For those of you who didn't read the signs and don't know what it is, "Dark Princess" is a fictional porn magazine catered entirely for Goth and Emo boys. What makes it different from the usual "Zoo" and "Playboy" is the fact that the cover doesn't show nudity, but girls in suggestively ripped Victorian dresses. That and the fact that the pornography features more blood, bats and bondage than the usual horror film. The girls (and occasionally boys) are most likely either Goths and Emos themselves, or just Playboy bunnies in desperate need of a pay rise (the fact is, although Playboy is more popular, dark Princess is a higher class of porn, and therefore makes more money).**

**Well, after all that, I hope you come to love this story, and that I get many a review on this – whether it be praise or flames, I don't really mind. Well, thanks and SEE YA! Please R&R **


	2. Act 1, Scenes 2 & 3

**Hello, faithful readers! What did you think of Act 1 Scene 1? I've had a few reviews already and so far they have all been good. One reader has asked for me to have Newt and Lauren get together, so – just so you know – Newt and Lauren are actually boyfriend and girlfriend in this, and I'm sorry if this wasn't apparent in Act 1 scene 1. **

**Anyways, here it is so R&R and please ENJOY!!!**

* * *

Act 1

Scene 2

_Scene: A Public Place, outside The Dog_

"HELLO? IS ANYONE THERE?" The door vibrated from the forces of the knocking, the hinges threatening to break from the strength. It was 8:30 on a Wednesday morning, and Lauren was – as usual – waiting for Newt at the front door. She must have decided that the Osborne's' were either late waking up or deaf that day, for she banged on the door extra hard.

"ARE YOU UP YET, NEWT?" yelled Lauren, the strength of her knocking increasing. After carrying this on five minutes, she paused and waited; staring at her watch as though taking her eyes off it would make Newt take longer. _Where is he? _Thought Lauren as she tapped her foot, _He's usually out by 25 past. Could it be anything to do with yesterday? _She began to dwell on yesterday's events, particularly on the time spent in the Convenience store. _When he was looking at that magazine, he had an odd look on his face…as though shocked at something. He never acts shocked when looking at that kind of stuff. _The sleuthing minutes of the day tackled, she reached a decision: _I'll talk to him about it A.S.A.P. Knowing Newt, it'll be serious. _

With renewed certainty and no longer sore knuckles, she began knocking on the door, this time knocking louder than ever. As Lauren felled the fifth knock, the door suddenly opened to reveal a woman with shoulder length blonde hair with a yawning toddler in her arms. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING YOU LITTLE FREAK?" the woman was full of fiery-eyed fury and the little boy had taken up a chant of "Bowie, bowie, bowie!"

Scared, Lauren began to back away: It was a fact that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…especially if she hasn't had much sleep, and by the looks of things, this woman had barely had any. Finally giving into the power of the woman's anger and her own common sense, Lauren retreated, running towards the pond. The woman's battle against teenage youth over, she walked back inside and into the kitchen, just avoiding Newt's glance as he walked out the front door.

Deciding it best not to mention the outburst, Lauren ran up to him all smiles. Reunited, Newt gave her a quick kiss on the lips and put his arm around her as they began walking. _That's strange, _thought Lauren, _since when did he act all "Claudio and Hero" with me? He may be my boyfriend but he's never this cosy. _

The minutes crawled by as they walked, an uncomfortable silence stretching between them. "So…er…Newt?" Asked Lauren, breaking the silence, "Are you feeling OK?"

"Yeah," said Newt, fixing her with a dubious look, "Why wouldn't I be?" As he said that, he began fiddling with his fringe, like he always did when he was nervous. _I know he's hiding something from me now. All I need now is the evidence._

"Well, just know that if you don't feel OK, you can just -"

"I'm fine!" shouted Newt suddenly, scaring Lauren, "Can you just stop hounding me?" He ran off ahead of her, leaving her standing in the middle of the food court. _Well…at least his short temper isn't out of the ordinary._

Watching Newt disappear around a corner, Lauren suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, and began running after him. "Hey, wait for me!"

Scene 3

_Scene: Hollyoaks High school, a classroom._

"OK," Mr Owen stood up from his chair at the front desk and put down the register, "I have an important announcement to make-" Newt and Lauren suddenly burst through the door panting for breath, their hair messy and clothes slightly creased. Lauren's school shirt was a quarter undone, threatening to show off her bra if it wasn't for the blazer. Dark lipstick stains adorned Newt's cheeks and lips, pronounced by the pale shade of his lip-gloss and doing nothing to disguise the reddening of his cheeks.

"Which," continued Mr Owen, "will have to wait until these _latecomers_ give me an explanation." He glared at the couple, using only his village-wide famous silent technique of wheedling information out of naughty high school age students. "So, why were you fifteen minutes late?"

Newt and Lauren just stood in the door staring at their feet, obviously on the receiving end of Mr Owen's famous guilt trips. The reason they were so late was quite simple really: After Lauren had caught up with Newt, she apologised to him for being so nosy, and – to show he forgave her – took her to the alley behind the school to have a 'quick' kiss and a grope for 20 minutes. By the time they had finished, they were ten minutes late, and it had taken them a further five minutes to run at high speed to their classroom on the third floor.

"Well, if you are not going to explain, then you are just going to have to sit down and explain to the Headmaster after school." Chuckling to himself, Mr Owen took a piece of paper off his desk, scrawled a few lines onto it, and passed it to a student to deliver it. Newt and Lauren quickly sat down in their seats at the back, keeping their heads down to avoid the gazes of the other students.

With everyone finally settled, Mr Owen continued, "As I said, I have an important announcement to make: As you are in your final year at this school before you go on to sixth form or college, and it is now October, I am pleased to announce that this class has been chosen to put on a performance at the end of the year as a final gift to the school before you leave. This time honoured tradition has…"

Theresa McQueen turned around in her seat to look at Newt and Lauren as Lauren began buttoning up her shirt and Newt tried in vain to wipe the lipstick off his face. "Eeww," whispered Theresa as she inspected the couple's sorry state, "What did you get paid to bang _'im_?"

Before Lauren or Newt could answer, Anita Roy – who was sat next to Theresa – tapped her on the shoulder in an attempt to make her give up on the interrogation. "Come on," she whispered in earnest, "If they want to have an intimate relationship, then let them." Anita then gave a quick smile to Newt and Lauren, before continuing a conversation with her new boyfriend Raito the amateur detective/tennis player/geek, which involved more kissing than speech.

(A/N: yes, I know that Anita will never truly get over her crush on Newt and that Raito is only an OC who'll probably never last that long but just bear with me here. I'd also like to just quickly apologise for the Death Note rip-off here, before Tsugumi Ohba or Takashi Obata sue me. Oh, and for the record, Raito _is_ Japanese (Anita's father only really approves of him because he's a genius with good grades.))

"Oh God, 'Nita. You've become so _borin'_ since you go' off wi' 'im!" grumbled Theresa, more to herself than to Anita. "You're like an ol' nanan, now!"

"Well," said Mr Owen, finally finishing the soporific speech, "now that piece of _important_ information is out of the way, it now leaves me with the burden of telling you what you will be performing at the end of the year, which will be…" Mr Owen paused, only to glare and Anita and Raito, whose 'conversation' was still carrying on. Aware that all eyes were on them, the couple quickly broke apart, and gazed solemn-eyed at Mr Owen in fake attentiveness.

Happy with the change, Mr Owen continued. "You – as a class – will be performing…" he paused again, to allow absolute silence to creep over the classroom. Then, in a whisper, he said: "Romeo and Juliet…"

The silence stayed for a few moments as the news sunk in, before suddenly erupting into a huge cacophony of voices.

"Oh my God," said one girl, "the romantic tragedy! We're performing the_ romantic tragedy_!"

"Oh wow," said another, "who's gonna be Romeo?!" her eyes quickly skimmed over all of the boys of the class, who were themselves talking excitedly of the play,

"Oh my God," said one boy, "who's Romeo gonna _shag_?!"

"Yeah," said another, "I hope she's sexy!"

"I hope she's got a nice ass!" In response, the boys' eyes skimmed other all of the girls in the class; their eyes aiming particularly lower than what the girls did.

"Quiet down, quiet down!" shouted Mr Owen above the noise and babble of the students, "I know you've all read the play and watched the films, but that's no reason for you to talk about such things _just_ yet!" The class quietened down at this, the last sentenced promising that – at least in their eyes – they would get another chance to talk about the bawdiness of the play some time soon.

"Now, since we have PSHE after the bell goes, and I've not been set to teach you anything for that lesson, we're going to take it as an opportunity to work out how we'll adapt the play for our performance…"

And for the next hour, that's what they did. By the end of it, most of the details had been specified, some more spectacular than others, and others just plain weird.

First of all, the play wasn't going to be performed on stage: instead, it was going to be filmed professionally with help from the Drama department, and performed to the school and parents as a movie on the huge pull-down screen in the assembly hall. Next of all, the set would be the village of Hollyoaks itself, the play being performed as a modern version with the same Shakespearean text.

In lieu of this, drastic changes were made to the Montagues and the Capulets themselves. The first of these changes was that the Montague House became a rich family who were famous rock/heavy metal stars by trade, and Goths at heart. The only exception to this would be Benvolio, who will be a hippy. In contrast, the Capulets became a rich family who were famous for being Chavs. This family made their millions through a mixture of brewing illegal beer and selling drugs. The only exception to this would be Juliet, who will be a Goth-wannabe. The Montagues would basically speak in the same Shakespearean language, while the Capulets would be bellowing out a warped, 'chavified' version of their lines.

For casting of the parts, it was soon decided that – to be realistic – all the adult parts (such as the Lords and Ladies, the Friars and Prince Escalus) would be portrayed by adults, while such as the servants (apart from the Nurse) and the main young people would be played by the class members. All those who want to act in the play would have to have their names put forward to be picked out of a hat, while all the other classmates will be picked to play extras and/or take part in such as lighting or make up, depending on their abilities and who was left.

Finally, the bell rang for the second lesson, and the class rushed out of the classroom excitedly; glad to get away from the administrator of the Shakespeare Overdose.

"Alright," shouted Mr Owen above the clamour of the students' footsteps, "we'll talk more on this in English later today, and Barry Newton and Lauren Valentine," Newt and Lauren suddenly stopped halfway through the day when their names were called out, scared stiff in knowledge of where this would be leading to, "make sure to report to the Headmaster after school, or you'll receive calls to your parents." The couple turned around and watched as Mr Owen waved his lo-tech mobile phone at them, to show he wasn't joking. He chuckled at the look on their faces, and Newt and Lauren took that as the signal to turn tail and flee incase Mr Owen decided to carry out the threat ahead of time.

As they turned into the corridor, Newt and Lauren didn't even stop then, pushing past Anita and Raito in their zeal to escape the form of justice that only Mr Owen and Mr Roy could dish out.

* * *

**Hurrah! Act 1 Scene 2&3 is finally finished with! Don't worry though: there will be more. Yeah, so I decided to do two scenes for this one, because scene 2 was too short on it's own, and because it's been SO LONG since I've updated this story. Also, if I did one scene for each chapter, I'd be going nowhere fast at all, and it'd be a waste of pixels to do.**

**Just to be clear as well, I'm not going to touch at all on Newt's erectile dysfunction via schizophrenia drugs, and it's not going to get mentioned at all in this fanfic apart from now in the Author Note. This is because a) This is a yaoi fan fiction and the dysfunction part will have no place and b) I didn't even know of this when I started this fan fiction, so it won't be mentioned (I'm kind of living in the past in that sense.)**

**OK, well please R&R soon, and SEE YA!!! **


	3. Act 1, Scenes 4, 5 & 6

**Hello. Between now and the last time I'd updated this story, many things have changed: first of all, I am no longer 'KuraiSeken', but 'Ruin Takada', and will be staying that way for a long time. Also, the plot for this has both changed, and become a little hazy, but with some rejogging of memory, I should be fine.**

**So yes, for this, I decided to give you a few more scenes, and it's longer than the other two, too. Keeping this in mind, this will hopefully last you nicely while I move on to my other stories again. Don't worry though, I've got some nice M rated glory for this one planned, and if you hate yaoi, you should just stop reading this here, 'kay, because the first yaoi scene is in scene 6. I know one of two of you NewtxLauren shippers have asked for such a pairing, but alas, it isn't that sort of fic.**

**Thanks for keeping with me this far, and PLEASE ENJOY!!!**

Act 1

Scene 4

Scene: Hollyoaks High school, Principle Roy's office

It was the end of school now, and Principle Roy was sitting at his desk, typing up a letter on a black Toshiba laptop, returning every now and then to a form on his desk, the words "Resignation form" emblazoned at the top. Picking up his fountain pen, he lowered it slowly to the paper, signing it grandly: with any luck, this form would be the last form he signed during his reign as principle of the godforsaken high school. He knew that it would be almost cowardly to back out now, but it was for the best: thanks to the crazy and hectic lifestyle that every student and staff member at the school seemed to lead, his health was suffering terribly for it, and his wife had almost pushed him into it ("Don't you _dare_ think I'm raising our children as a single mother!")

As he was halfway through signing the form, a bell rang loudly signalling the arrival of a student from the reception, causing his hand to jolt, and the ink from the pen to splash across the page. The form now ink-splattered and useless, he sighed and tore it up, crumpling it up and throwing the remains towards the paper bin opposite the desk. Thanks to the receptionist and that student, he would be spending at least another 6 months at the high school with high blood pressure and hair loss.

Pressing a button on his tele-communicator (A/N: I'm not really sure what they are called, so I'll just use that for now), he let the receptionist know to let the student in, before sighing to himself and sitting back in his chair, folding his arms as he waited for their arrival.

It wasn't long before the door slowly opened, and two head were seen peeping out from the side, like gothic versions of loony toon characters hiding conspicuously behind a tree. "Hey, Gov." said Barry, smiling, his chin half-resting on the crown of Lauren's head. "Did you…"

"…miss us?" asked Lauren, smiling equally sinisterly. Seeing the exasperated look on Principle Roy's face, they pulled their heads back behind the door and walked into the office, sitting in the two empty seats with the purposeful deliberation of a daily ritual – after all the trouble they'd been in before, the routine of such consequences was rote in their memories and could be executed unconsciously.

Knowing also what to do in the presence of such people – for just as the routine of being sent the principles office was rote in their memories – the routine of dealing with the two teenagers in turn was rote in his. Picking up the earlier delivered note from atop his desk, he glared into their eyes sternly. "According to this note, you two came to registration late again today, only this time in a state of careless indecency: The most notable points of which were undone shirts, messy hair, and dark lipstick – which is banned in the first place – in every which place!" Realising the full scope of their actions, and what fools they must have looked, they looked down at their boot-clad feet in shame – a first in these meetings.

"Now," he continued, taking in their pitiful look, "as this is your last year, and I only have 7 more months to put up with your antics, I am willing to forgive all that if you both pull your weight and get good grades in your GSCEs. Is it not correct that your class are involved in the performance of the Shakespearean play that will be performed at the end of the year?" The two emos both merely nodded in response, for it seemed all that they were capable of doing. "Good," Principle Roy said, his voice noticeably lighter, "then that will be the _perfect_ opportunity for you two to wipe clean your slates. In lieu of this, I would like you two to put your names forward to act in the play, act your part to the best of your ability, and all this in time for the performance that will be held at the end of June. _Do you understand_?"

A hard glare glinted in his eyes, and quick nods from both of them told him that they did – it was impossible for them not to. "Now that I have made myself clear, Barry," he looked pointedly at the boy, "Lauren," he then turned to face the girl, "I will expect a report from Mr Owen on your two's progress weekly, so I will soon hear if you've not been picking up the slack. Understand?" The pair nodded once more. "No, let me _hear_ you say it."

"Yes sir." They both said in rapid unison.

"Well done," he said, half-smiling, "now you can leave." And with that, the pair picked up their stuff, and left, Lauren only pausing a moment to pick up something off the floor. The door slammed behind them, and Principle Roy slouched down in his seat and sighed: With another 7 months of _those_ two's antics and the no-doubt bad affect they'd have on his youngest daughter, he was most definitely regretting throwing out the resignation form. Placing his head in one hand, he began to think hard over the situation…yes, now that he thought about it, his still-present position as headmaster at the school could prove more useful to him than he thought…

Scene 5

_Scene: A Public Place, around the Food Court_

"Wow, what a cop-out," said Lauren, laughing as her and Newt walked through the skate park next to the food court, the park empty except for a few loiterers that sat on the ramps. "I can't believe the Gov'nor was actually gonna _resign_!"

"Yeah," said Newt, half-distracted, "some arch-nemesis _he_ turned out to be!" he began fiddling with his fringe again, half-closing his eyes in thought. _Why didn't it work? _He thought to himself, his face turned down into a scowl, _how could nothing be working properly after 20 solid minutes of heaven? Does that mean it's true after all?_

They were out of the skate park now, and walking through the half-deserted food court, winding their way through silver tables and chairs, it was then that, stopping outside MOBS that Lauren turned to face Newt and asked, "Are you _really_ feeling okay?"

Newt just looked at her blankly in response, acting as though he hadn't registered. After a while of silence, he smiled at her, putting his arm around her shoulder. "You've asked me that already, and my answer's the same as it was this morning: I'm fine!"

"Are you sure you've been taking your pills? What's Eli been telling you?"

Newt removed his arm from her shoulders at that, his tone more agitated, "Yes, I've been taking my pills, so Eli's not said a word! What makes you think anything's wrong?!"

"Er…I-it's just that-" Lauren was hesitant now. Never in their relationship had something like this happened: Newt acting all lovey-dovey one minute, and yelling at her the next.

"It's just what, Lauren?! It's just what?!"

"I don't know, okay?! I just thought you were acting strange and that I should know why! Sorry for caring!" Lauren eyes seemed to burn with anger: If there was anything that she hated about Newt, it was when he threw her occasional acts of kindness back in her face. Apart from the obvious, the reason she hated it was because, when he threw it in her face, Eli was telling him to, and when Eli tells him to do something, it's because he didn't take his pills, and if he's not taking his pills, then something was desperately wrong. _Yet more evidence, _she thought.

"Well if you're _so sorry_, then why aren't you going away?!" he yelled, baring his teeth in anger, making Lauren's eyes widen in shock. Horrified at his yelling she ran away without a fight towards the direction of her house.

"Sorry about that Lauren," he whispered, once she was out of earshot, "I need you out of the way for this next part." And with that, half-smiling, he walked towards the Convenience Store, his hand on the wallet in his pocket.

After round about 20 minutes later, Newt walked out of the Convenience Store, a nondescript plastic bag in his arms. After 15 minutes of deliberation, and a further five in the queue, he'd bought two magazines – the issue of Dark Princess that had taken his fancy the other day, and the latest issue of Dark Prince (basically the Playgirl to Dark Princess's Playboy) – a few cosmetics (including a couple vials of nail varnish) and a diet coke. Hopefully, the magazines with their tendency to show the models' best side, would have an affect on him and give him some much needed answers, putting his mind at ease.

_**Are you still sure you want to put us both through looking at that dirty magazine? **_Eli asked, peering over Newt's shoulder from behind.

_You weren't saying that about _Dark Princess _last night._

_**Yeah, and that's because – unlike you – I don't like looking at half naked guys in lace! **_

_Shut up, Eli._ Newt thought casually, smiling more.

_**Oh yeah, before I piss off to let you look at those things…look out where you're going.**_

Suddenly snapping back into reality, Newt looked round, readying himself to move away from the obstacle – but it was too late. He crashed into a passers-by with a thump, feeling himself fall backwards into a banister with a crack, before being snatched forwards and pulled to the ground, falling with a muffled thump. His bag of possessions had fallen to the ground where he once stood, the tinkle of smashed glass resonating to his left. He expected to feel the thump of the hard ground against his face, but instead felt something hard yet comforting, like an unfamiliar embrace.

He heard yells of surprise and shock around him, and shouts of "Don't move", and "Stay still" around him. To be honest, he felt like a patient off a medical drama, now all he needed to do was spot the limping grouch who'd declare him half dead before saving his life.

Doing as the passer-bys' told him, he didn't move from the warm cage he'd found himself in, only looking through straining eyes and slight tilts of the head, his pupils craning upwards from the blue-grey cotton material floor stained with dark red. Soon he was met with the sight of pale skin, separated from the blue-grey red with a v shape, and a strong chin dotted with a slight shadow. Glancing further upwards still, he saw thin, passionate lips upturned into a smile, and…_beautiful, dark blue eyes_. _Unforgettable, yet familiar…dark blue eyes. _

"Hey Newt, Y'okay? You really should look where you're going!" _That voice…that accent… it's-_

"Kris! What'cha doin' that for? You'll get a bad reputation if you just go around hugging every guy you see!" Looking out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a pair of heel-wearing feet wrapped in dark tights. _Nancy Hayton, the teaching assistant to Mr Owen. She offered to help me with the script later during second period. _

"But did you see how he fell? He could've gone _diving_ if I didn't catch him first!"

"Yeah but look at the state he's in: he's bleeding, for gawd's sake! He wouldn't be in that state if you let him fall. The river's only 3ft deep after all, and he can swim!"

"Have you ever fallen head first into a pool of water 3ft deep? He could've hit his head on the bottom, and drowned unconscious! At least he's not dead this way!" At the mention of this, Newt tried to get up at high speed, before cringing in pain, and falling back into Kris's fingerless-gloved arms, his head resting back on his chest. Realising what had happened now, and what was going on, the whole situation seemed strange…and somewhat erotic.

Lifting only his head this time, he asked, his voice trembling, "W-what happened? A-anything b-b-bad?"

"Nah," said Kris, smiling at his quarry, "Nothing that Frankie'll have a fit over with luck. Your things seem okay, although your coke's going down river."

"T-that's okay." Newt muttered back, startled by the older man's handsomeness, suddenly nervous, "N-never really liked the stuff anyways."

"Then what did you buy it for?" Kris laughed in response to the annoyed look on Newt's face, reaching up to move a clump of Newt's fringe from his eyes. He then began to get up, grabbing hold of the younger boy's arm with one hand and supporting him by the waist with the other, steadying him to his feet. Newt began to blush with the intimacy of the contact, his skin tingling where Kris touched, despite the layer of clothing. "Here, can you stand okay? You hit your back pretty bad back there."

"It's fine." He replied quickly, demonstrating with a step forward, before being bent over double with the pain, his teeth clenched.

"No it's not. You should sit down for a bit, before you _do_ go over!" At this, Newt was finally aware of his surroundings, amazed to find himself on the bridge of the small river, a dark red stain on the floor from the mixing of the red and black nail varnishes in their crash, the liquid dripping into the river and staining it a harrowing blood red. The magazines had thankfully escaped both the river and the varnish, unlike Kris's decidedly ordinary shirt, which had been splashed with the liquid all over. In fact, Kris was probably going over the river to clock in at The Dog for his evening shift. _The exact opposite way I was going…but why? _

"Don't worry about the shirt, I can get it washed later. Anyways, your stuff's somewhat safe luckily. I'll pick it up for you." Kris smiled at Newt again, the younger boy's face horror struck from the transvestite's unusually kind behaviour. _Usually if something like this happens at The Dog to anyone else, he just tells them to shove off and gives them a witty remark. What did I do to deserve this…nah, it's probably just cos I'm his employers' kid._

"Oh, what's this then?" Coming back to his senses, Newt tried to make a grab for it but it was too late: Kris was already flicking through the magazines, glancing down at Newt at few second intervals with a serious look. Then finally, having seen his fill, he placed them back in Newt's beckoning arms, smiling suggestively. "Taking a look at you I would've never guessed…" bending down, until his mouth was at Newt's ear, he whispered, "When you get the chance, drop by my place on Saturday…Frankie'll have the address. Tell her you want make up tips or something, she won't question you."

Shocked by the changing in Kris's tone, Newt blushed, speechless. But then, as if nothing had happened, Kris clapped Newt on the shoulder, giving him one last gleaming smile, "Come on, Newtos, lets get you back before Frankie has something to fit about."

Scene 6

_Scene: Newt's bedroom_

It had been barely quarter of an hour since that incident, and already Newt was sitting on the floor in his room, his back against the bed as he flicked through Dark Prince, the images of half-naked young men flitting through his sight, the atmospheric lace and blood enhancing the beauty of the models. Had it not been for the fact that Newt had put on his usual pale foundation that morning, the blush running across his face would have been clear enough to be seen from space.

The rest of the trip from the bridge to The Dog had passed without incident, and thankfully, Frankie understood enough to not say anything about Kris' varnish-stained t-shirt, other than letting him borrow one of Darren's, and that she'd pay for the laundry bill. As for the injury to Newt's back, she'd fussed over it, even going so far as to bandage up his back, as though he was a samurai, making him change into a short-sleeved t-shirt, his uniform spotted with nail polish: Kris knew that she'd flip, and she did.

With his back resting comfortably against his bed, and his pulled down quilt acting as a cushion for it, the pain was soon lessening in his back, and with his eyes focused on the contents of the magazine, he couldn't imagine himself moving from the spot for another couple of hours. In fact, as long as Frankie and Jack were busy down stairs in the bar, then he just might…

"Newt!" Came the call from the other side of his bedroom door, "Get your guitar things ready, Josh will be here in five minutes!" Of course: Monday's at 3:30 were always his guitar lessons with Josh Ashworth, who taught him for the reasonable price of £15 a lesson. Being in a band himself, Josh set up the business to help pay for his equipment, and as far as Newt could tell, it was going well for him.

After about five minutes worth of floundering about his room to get out his electric guitar and his music book, while at the same time hiding his magazines under his bed while staying sat on the floor in the same spot, Josh walked into the bedroom, his own guitar in the case in one hand, and his music sheets in the other. Newt hadn't really noticed before, but with his above-shoulder-length straight hair, prominent cheekbones and slim physique, and with the light from the upstairs window shining behind him, he looked almost like an angel. He then blushed at the thought.

Putting his things down on an empty piece of carpet, and rubbing his hands together, Josh smiled at Newt in anticipation of the lesson, "Lets get cracking now, shall we?" Newt nodded in agreement. He knew that Josh started every lesson with that phrase, but he couldn't help agreeing now: Whatever Josh had to offer, Newt would be sure to lap up every bit of it.

About 30 minutes into the lesson, and Newt was struggling to concentrate on the lesson. Josh looked so handsome from where he sat beside Newt, and every word that he spoke seemed to cloud his senses: _The perfect singing voice_, he thought.

"Come on," Josh said for the fifth time in ten minutes, "be careful will you? You don't need to strum so hard or pause so long between each chord." He sighed, and then continued, "I usually don't have to tell you twice with this. Surely it doesn't take you half an hour to learn My Chem's _You Know What They Do_?"

Normally, it didn't take Newt that long to learn a piece of music, thanks to Josh's tutelage, but it was now thanks to Josh himself that Newt couldn't pay attention. Every time Josh spoke with that beautiful voice of his, Newt found that he just couldn't help himself space out. This would earn more gentle chides from Josh in his efforts to keep Newt focused, but really it just made it worse, and so the cycle continued.

If only Newt wasn't so shy, and had the courage to just reach over and plant him a kiss – it would certainly stop him spacing out every five seconds. But then, if only there wasn't the teacher-student relationship to consider: As Josh was his guitar teacher, it would just be out of order for Newt to touch him in a friendly manner, let alone kiss him – not to mention it'd be awkward afterwards. Besides, if all the stories about former Hollyoaks High school pupils were to be believed, it would be so cliché.

And if there was anything that Newt wasn't, it was a cliché.

"Here, let me help." Said Josh when Newt had spaced out once again and left his axe hanging in his lap untouched. Crawling up closer next to Newt, he reached his left arm around behind the younger boy's back, gripping the fret board with his long fingers. With his right arm, he reached around again, his fingers ready to pluck and strum the strings. Through some lucky twist of fate for Newt, Josh was knelt up behind Newt, between him and the bed, with his arms around the emo. Newt's blush was worse than ever now, his face a dusty shade of pink as it began to show through the foundation.

During those seconds when he'd space out in that lesson, he'd often thought about what it would be like to be in Josh's arms, and really, this was somewhat how he'd expected it: A firm grip, but comforting; arms toned by years of playing guitar hard, but protecting, not offending. What he hadn't imagined though, was the heat: Josh's arms, even through his sleeves, seemed to radiate it, the heat dancing and crackling on Newt's bare, cool skin.

"Now, if you just put your hand here…" Josh said, picking up Newt's left hand, moulding it with his own into the right position on the fret board. The touch of Josh's palm and fingers against the back of Newt's hand seemed to send a shock up his spine. "So, if you just press down there," Josh continued, applying pressure on Newt's fret fingers, "and do this…" he picked up the neglected right hand, strumming it against the strings. At regular intervals, he changed the position of Newt's hand on the fret board into a new chord, keeping up the pattern, until he slowly removed his hands, leaving Newt to play it himself.

"See? It's not that hard, hmm?" Josh grinned his cheeky grin, turning his head to look into Newt's eyes. Newt stopped playing, letting the corners of his mouth do a slight up-turn.

"Thanks." He whispered, and before he could stop himself, he leaned up, and pressed his lips against Josh's cheek, losing himself in the feel of hot, clean-shaven skin against them, and almost drinking in his smell…

Josh leaned back suddenly, leaving Newt with his lips still pursed. Josh's hand suddenly went to his cheek, and Newt's to his mouth. They stared wide-eyed at each other, lost for words, and at a loss over what to do…

And without another thought, the two boys leaned in, their lips pressing together into a rough kiss, mouths open and their hands at each other. Newt's were at Josh's cheek and in his hair; Josh's at the back of his neck and the middle of his back, pushing them closer. Slowly, the guitar was discarded; the strap pulled over the younger boy's head and dropped idly on the floor. Newt let his tongue slip into his guitar tutor's mouth, tasting him, begging for more. Josh reciprocated, and his hands moved slowly up to Newt's shoulders, gripping them hard.

They broke apart, Newt falling backwards onto his butt, and Josh stood up, hand at his mouth, his head shaking slowly. "No," he mouthed, almost horror-struck.

Suddenly, Frankie burst in through the door, holding a tray of snack, as was her custom, "hey, you boys hun-" But she didn't finish the sentence, staring incredulously at the scene before her. "Is everything alright?"

"No…yeah, it's okay," muttered Josh, picking up his things, "I just realized, I forgot a sheet of music I was meant to teach Barry today. I'll just pack up now and carry on where we left off next week." And, packing up his guitar in a rush, he pushed past Frankie and left, hiding his face with his free hand.

Looking at Newt, and then at Josh's back, she shrugged her shoulders, placed the tray on a spare piece of floor, and walked out, closing the door behind her.

All alone again, Newt slowly picked himself off the floor, and slumped forward onto his bed, letting tears stream down his face and drown the bed covers.

_**Didn't I tell you it was bad news? I mean, he pushed you off him, the sleaze! You saw what he was doing with your shoulders!**_

_Y-y-yeah, I did…_

_**Now we're getting somewhere-**_

_T-that just means he doesn't like me in that way…he_ is_ going out with Amy Barnes, right? Either that or he's as new to this as I am…_

_**Or not…**_

Slowly, Newt lifted himself up, until his weight was supported on his right hand, and his leg was folded up on its side.

_Yeah… That must be it, otherwise why would he have let me kiss him again, and reacted like that to it…But at least I know now…_

_**No… No! You can't be serious! Why would you do that to us – to me! Aren't we pals, friends, bosom buddies- Okay, just scratch that last one, but you get my gist, right?**_

_It's true though…I am gay, no questions. _

_**And no 'buts' too?**_

Newt didn't reply to that one, instead thinking about the best course of action to take: Of course there were so many people that he'd had to tell, not to mention the situations with Josh and Lauren he'd have to sort out…but for now, it could wait. It had been a very tiring day, and one that would take a long time to process…perhaps sleep would help?

End of Act 1

**Ah yes, so we meet again… Yeah, so that's Act 1 scene 4, 5, 6, and that's also the end of Act 1, if that note wasn't clue enough. I'd had that scene between Josh and Newt in my head for a while, and the real challenge was the part working up to it, which is why it took so long to update. But no matter, it's up now, so I'm happy. There's not really anything else to say at the moment other than thanks, and SEE YA!!!**


End file.
